Nokia Refocus breathes new life into smartphone cameras

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In keeping with their promises during the Lumia 1520 launch, the Nokia Refocus imaging app is now available to everything with a PureView camera.

The next wave of smartphone cameras aren’t going to focus on the most megapixels — software is what matters now, and Nokia has demonstrated that their camera tools are more than capable. The Nokia Refocus app enables Lytro-style refocusing by taking multiple photos at different focal points and stitching them together in software. The end result is some really cool photos that can only be shared through Nokia’s special web embed service.

Nokia’s not the only company working on this software, but they have demonstrated that their tools are incredibly easy to use. It works fast, the end results can be tweaked in the Refocus app, and then you can share your finished product with the world.

One of the features included in this app is Color Pop, which allows you to place special attention on a specific color in your photos. The feature works great as long as all of the photos that get taken are nice and clear, but will occasionally deliver muddy results if one of the focal points ends up being blurry. You can share Color Pop photos as well, but the feature goes away as soon as you click to refocus.

If you have a Nokia Windows Phone with a PureView camera, you can find the Refocus app in the Windows Store. It’s expected that HTC will be unveiling a similar feature with their new HTC One on March 25th, as well as some additional 3D effects features that bring their product more closely in line with what Lytro has been offering on their standalone camera for a couple of years now.